Commercial aircraft may be equipped with fire suppression systems for suppressing fires in cargo compartments. A conventional aircraft fire suppression system responds to a fire alarm in two phases: a “quick knockdown” phase, followed by a suppression phase. During the quick knockdown phase, a cargo compartment is flooded with fire suppressant at a high flow rate. During the suppression phase, a lower flow rate of fire suppressant into the cargo compartment is provided over an extended period of time.
A fire suppression system adds weight to an aircraft. The added weight increases fuel costs. It would be desirable to reduce the weight of a fire suppression system.